Tuesday, September 30, 2008

These were actually pictures from yesterday, but I just had a chance to download them. I love the one of Josh and Thomas sleeping - they were both so out at that point that they had no idea I took the picture. The picture of Jill (one of our cats) watching over Thomas just made me laugh. When we are all hanging out in the living room, the cats will often watch over the baby.

We don't always get to take pictures of all the firsts. Today, Thomas had his first (impromptu) bath. He had a little incident while getting his diaper changed which required us to bathe him. He did not like it. But, once we got him wrapped up in a towel and cuddled up with me, he calmed down.

We are back from seeing the doctor one more time. Thomas has not gained any weight, BUT he hasn't lost any either. The doctor was happy with this result. My milk just came in a little later due to the c-section, so we are going to continue with the breast feeding and have him weighed again Thursday. We will continue to make sure he is getting fed every 2-3 hours and that he actually eats during feeding (he tends to fall asleep).

Thomas did great on his visit. He had to have more blood taken. They have to continue checking for jaundice every visit until his numbers come up. He does really well with the blood draws. Dad holds him and keeps him calm. He really is a content baby and we just love him more every day.

We celebrated by going to the mall for Orange Julius. Josh is trying to get his iPhone fixed so we needed to go to the AT&T store. Thomas slept the entire time, but we got to take him for his first ride in the stroller.

I am now exhausted, so I am going to take a nap. I'll post more pictures later.

Monday, September 29, 2008

We have now made it successfully from the house to the doctor's office and back. It was pretty much the focus of our entire day and we are back home and recovering.

We had both good and bad news from the visit. Thomas looked a little yellow, so they tested him for jaundice. They just called to let us know that he does NOT have jaundice (I was very relieved by this). The bad news is that he has continued to lose weight and he is down to 7 lbs 8 oz (it is amazing to me that most babies are that small or smaller when they are born). We talked to the doctor and have decided to wait one more day for my milk to come in to see if Thomas will start gaining weight rather than losing it. We have to go back to the doctor tomorrow to have him weighed again. We are also doing a couple of things to help stimulate milk production. I am now under strict orders to relax, drink lots of water and rest.

Speaking of resting - our fun photo of the day is Thomas in his swing. Today was the first day we let him nap in his swing. He loved it. It is moments like these that make me so grateful for a contented baby. He looks so peaceful.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

I'm surprised at how fast the first 24 hours at home went by. Of course, we have discovered a lot! Thomas is still up all night and likes to sleep during the day. We have figured out how to alternate shifts in the middle of the night and to take advantage of periods of sleep during the day. This morning, after breakfast, Thomas and Josh took a nap and I was able to take a shower. It was incredible!

Thomas had some hard times last night. We discovered that he did not like wearing a onesie. We couldn't figure out if it was because it was rubbing on his umbilical cord or just too restrictive. He also had a big long day yesterday, so we thought he might just need some time with mom and dad. We did get him into some clothes today - a sleep and play suit that zips up the front and has little footies. He has been super comfortable in that and now is warm and cozy and wrapped up in his blankets.

My parents came over with lunch from Olive Garden and then we took Thomas for a walk around the neighborhood. He got to meet some of the neighbors and we discovered that one of our neighbors was our anesthesiologist.

When we got back from our walk, Josh took over and I got to sleep for a while.

We go to see Thomas' doctor tomorrow for our first appointment. It should be an adventure to get him into the car and over to the doctor. We will update after we get back.

I can't believe it, but they actually let us take out boy home. We are now adjusting to a completely different life :)

I'll try to post this week as we learn new things. We are doing well and trying to figure out how to get Thomas to sleep at night instead of during the day, but for now, I am sitting up with him while he discovers his little hand.

Many thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers as we keep going!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Now that we are officially in recovery, things are looking great. Thomas ate a lot last night (every hour and a half or so) and then decided he'd had enough and slept for 5 hours. It was great because we got to get a little bit of sleep. During the time he was sleeping, I got to get up and walk around for the first time. Then, I got breakfast! Eggs and toast have never been better.

By 10:30 I was completely untethered - no longer hooked to any IVs and ready for a shower. Ah, lovely shower.

Robb and Reba brought my nephews over for a visit and they each came in separately. They all brought Thomas a stuffed animal and sat in the rocking chair to hold him. It was so cute. Then my mom and Hannah came and visited and then Jeremy (Josh's brother), Jen (his fiance), Jimmy (Josh's cousin) and Beth (Josh's mom). Mike (Josh's dad) came a little later. So, Thomas is well visited. We figured there was no reason for Thomas to lay in his bassinet when he could be attended to by all of his family.

I am slowly recovering, getting up and walking around. Josh is still being a great dad, bringing me the baby and then swaddling him back up after each feeding - he is now an expert swaddler.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Our beautiful baby boy was born today at 3:37 pm by c-section. He is 8 lbs, 9 oz and 20.5 inches long.

I wrote earlier that Thomas had two decelerations earlier in the induction process and our doctor told us one more deceleration would mean a c-section. When he told us this, he asked that I get the epidural put in just in case we needed to go that route. So, yesterday, I had the epidural put in, but did not have it turned on with any medication.

After no progress all day, the doctor was set to come over and break my water to see if the process would get moving. In the meantime, we started the epidural (since I had not progressed, breaking the water was going to be painful and he did not want to do it without some medication). As soon as the epidural went in, the baby had another deceleration. So, when the doctor came over to break my water, we knew that he would recommend a c-section. At that time, we had been here for about 30 hours and we knew that it would be better to go ahead and have the c-section since Thomas was not doing well with labor.

It turns out that we made a really good decision. Normal amniotic fluid is clear and mine was black and thick, indicating that Thomas had already had released meconium already and this is bad for the baby in utero. It turns out he also had the cord wrapped around his neck. If the doctor had broken my water, we would have had to have a c-section anyway since the fluid was black.

Everything went pretty fast from there. This is my first major surgery, so I had no idea what to expect, but Josh was really good at keeping me calm. After surgery, the recovery has been pretty good so far. They let me eat a sandwich about an hour ago and it was the best food I've had in a long time.

The worst part is that they have to take the baby to the nursery during the first hour of recovery, but Josh got to go with him, so that made me feel better. After about 2 hours, they brought Thomas to me and I was able to breastfeed. He is now in room with us and doing really well. For being in as much stress as he was in utero, he was amazingly healthy - pink and crying right away. His sugars have been perfect.

I was able to get up a few minutes ago, which is great so soon after surgery. We are all making good recoveries. Josh is the best dad ever (no bias there) and Thomas is the smartest, most beautiful baby in the world (also no bias). Seriously, we are all doing well and appreciate all your thoughts and prayers throughout the process.

We have been in the hospital now for 24 hours. It turns out that induction is a lot of waiting :)

I have still not made any progress. I have been on a pitocin drip for most of the time I've been here. We had a couple of times where Thomas' heartbeat decelerated so they have been increasing the dose very slowly. If we have any more decelerations, we have to have a c-section, so the doctor is just playing it safe.

Both Josh and I got a decent amount of sleep last night despite the beds, so we are in a really positive frame of mind. We have been blessed with lots of visitors (the lady at the front desk even commented on it). Please keep us in your prayers. We really hope to have a baby sometime today.

Monday, September 22, 2008

We just got back from the doctor and I have made no progress, despite waking up several times last night with contractions. We had to get another NST (non stress test) and she pointed out that I was having contractions during the test - I said, "yes, but they aren't DOING anything" :)

We had a long talk with the doctor about due dates and why he thought that 9/14 was the due date instead of 9/21. He told us that they base the due dates on several factors and that our first two ultrasounds showed the baby due on 9/14. That is why he gave us a range. But, I am still considered 41 weeks and 1 day today. He also went through all of the risk factors with us. I am of "advanced maternal age" which means that the placenta generally ages faster and becomes less productive past 41 weeks. I have gestational diabetes which means that the baby has a higher risk of developing complications the longer we go beyond 41 weeks. There is a risk of loss of amniotic fluid or decreased amounts as we continue as well. So, we agreed that the time has come and we scheduled the induction for Wednesday morning.

I am torn about all of this. On the one hand, I am relieved to have a date finally and I am really uncomfortable (did I mention that I didn't get that much sleep last night?). On the other hand, I really wanted to go into labor on my own without intervention. At this point, I feel good about the decision and I am getting excited about the fact that we will get to see our baby in a couple of days. I also think it would be great if Thomas felt compelled to come tonight or tomorrow instead since we now have a date. Regardless, we are excited and would love your prayers over the next couple of days as we get ready to welcome our son!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Today is the day we calculated as our original due date. Around the time of the second ultrasound, they moved us up a week. But, now that we saw the baby measuring at 39 weeks last Monday, I think they may have been wrong to move us up. Tomorrow, when we go to the doctor, we are going to talk to him about the dates to make sure they have everything correct. I suspect he is going to want to induce this week if I have not gone into labor. We are still going to ask that we wait until at least Friday. All the tests have come back well, so I don't want to induce until we really have to.

I was a little bummed that I was awake again at 6 am, but then, as the sun came up and our backyard was foggy and misty and so beautiful, I felt much better.

I just finished a blanket for Thomas while watching the Seahawks game (yay, a win for the Seahawks!) and now Josh is hoping that even if I go into labor I will hold off until after his hockey game (and since his game is in 3 hours and I am not in labor yet, I think it is a pretty good bet that he will get to play).

Speaking of Josh, I don't often sing his praises here, but I have to say that he has been really supportive and encouraging. He is also a superior foot masseuse - a quality that cannot be praised highly enough.

We will update again after tomorrow's appointment with the doctor. Until then, have a lovely Sunday evening.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I think the Pacific Northwest has finally given up on summer all together. We have had a nice, rainy Saturday. And, I had to give in and turn on the heat.

To get our walking in today, we went to the grocery store. Tomorrow, we will probably give in and go to the mall. No news on the baby front. We continue to get a lot of rest to get ready for the time when we will be losing sleep.

I tend to have good days and bad days. Today is a good day. I woke up and thought, we are one day closer to having a baby :) Other days I wake up and think I am going to be pregnant forever.

We enjoyed Ghost Town last night, so tonight we have downloaded the first season of the British version of the Office. Still in the mood for comedy...

Friday, September 19, 2008

We went to the doctor and had the NST and another ultrasound. Everything was normal. The ultrasound is only for the purpose of measuring the amniotic fluid. I asked if she would be measuring the baby and she said no. So, no updates on size. There is still plenty of amniotic fluid, so he can stay. Both the ultrasound and NST techs asked me if I was getting induced. Apparently. they don't see many women that are 40 weeks and 5 days.

We see the doctor on Monday for another exam. I anticipate that he will want to schedule the induction for some time next week if I have not had the baby by that time. If possible, we want to wait as long as we can to give him time to come on his own.

That's it for today. We are going to see Ghost Town tonight. I'm definitely in the mood for some comedy.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

After yesterday's walk where my calves cramped up, we went to the mall so I could get some sneakers. I have been wearing flip flops and sandals all summer because I don't like to wear shoes when it is hot. The new shoes were a life saver. We just went on a walk again and I am in much better shape than I was yesterday. I'm not sure how much the walking is helping. Thomas seems to like it, so we will keep it up.

We also got to go and have dinner with Mom and Dad and Robb and Rebecca and their kids last night. It is really great to be here and to be able to enjoy a little time with the family. Because we work in Seattle, we are usually not home in time to do stuff like this. Tonight we are going to meet up with Jen and Jeremy for pizza.

The other thing I have been doing during the day is knitting. I made a little teddy bear for Thomas. I bought the yarn a while ago and had not had a chance to work on it until now. I also finished my nursing shawl and started a poncho with the leftover yarn. We'll see how far I get while I am waiting.

Tomorrow we go back to the doctor for an NST and ultrasound. We will post the results afterward. :)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I have never been the most patient person. So, waiting for Thomas is a little difficult. I have to have little conversations with myself about the fact that he will come when the time is right and I have to tell myself not to get too frustrated or anxious. I had a hard night and morning with some very inconsistent contractions. Don't get too excited. They are still not close enough together and they come close together for a while and then slow down. I keep hoping this will go somewhere, but they seem to have died off completely for now.

Josh and I went on a walk around our neighborhood this morning - another one of those things you are supposed to do to encourage labor. It was mostly hilarious because I do not have a great pair of walking shoes and my sandals do not give me the greatest support. I got huge cramps in my calves. Now I have plans to go out and buy some sneakers this afternoon. My old shoes won't fit any longer - they are too short. We did have a good laugh as Josh had to actually massage my calves so I could continue walking. We have a plan to take Thomas on lots of walks once he is born. I want to at least regain my ability to walk a mile without cramping up.

That's my update for today. I am now going to relax with my Kindle for a while and read a spy novel...

Monday, September 15, 2008

I was feeling a little guilty for being off work today since I haven't had the baby yet and then I went to the doctor and we were there for a while. Now I don't feel so bad.

First we met with the doctor and he checked to see if I had made any progress (no, still just a tiny bit dilated and 50% effaced). Then, he gave us the options - he could induce labor or we could wait another week. We opted for the waiting. An average first pregnancy lasts 41 weeks and I would like to make sure that Thomas is good and ready before he makes his debut.

After 40 weeks, you have to be more closely monitored which meant that we then had to get a non-stress test (NST) and an ultrasound. The NST consists of sitting in a chair while they monitor the heartbeat and movement of the baby and any contractions you are having. I didn't have any contractions while they were monitoring, but the heartbeat was good and strong and he moved around a lot.

We had to leave and come back for the ultrasound an hour later. The purpose of the ultrasound is to measure the amount of amniotic fluid (to make sure it doesn't get too low) and to measure the size of the baby. We haven't had an ultrasound since week 28 (before I found out I have gestational diabetes). At that time, the baby was measuring big (like 29-30 weeks). Today, he was measuring 39 weeks. She estimated the size to be under 8 lbs. And, the amniotic fluid is fine. After controlling my diet so closely, I feel good that he is not too big.

So, we have to go back on Friday for another NST and ultrasound (if he doesn't decide to make an appearance before then).

It is a relief to know that he is healthy and everything is on track so far. Now I can relax and enjoy a few days of rest.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Josh and I are now officially done with work. He is "retired" and I am on maternity leave. It feels strange because now we are just waiting for the baby to make his appearance. I finished the cross stitch I was doing for Thomas' room this morning. Tomorrow I will take it to the craft store to be framed.

The nicest part about taking off in September is that we have GREAT weather here in Bremerton. I went outside and picked a lot of our apples and pears. I may do some early baking of treats in the next couple of days. And, we are about to head out to Hood Canal for a little late afternoon boating (or for me, sitting on the beach).

We'll continue to update if anything happens, but for now, we are just taking it easy for a couple of days.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

We went to the doctor this morning and he said he would be surprised if the baby came in the next 4-5 days. That is actually kind of great news because it eases up some of the "is this labor?" feeling I get every time the baby moves. It made me relax a little.

The other nice thing is that Thomas had a sluggish day yesterday so it was great to hear his heartbeat (a strong 145 bpm) and know that he is just running out of room to kick.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Just a quick update that we have only one week left until the 40 week mark. The last time we asked the doctor, he said the baby is due "between 9/14 and 9/22". We love him - he doesn't want his patients to get fixated on a date.

Regardless, Friday will be the last day of work for both of us. Josh has officially quit his job, so he is finishing up this week. When I say quitting his job, what I mean is that he is quitting his corporate job. He has so many other projects going on that it seems like he will still be working full time. We have The Daily Tube, Body Lab Fitness (the gym we are part owners of in Seattle), 2 websites to build and another contracting opportunity. We plan on Josh staying home with Thomas, but if he keeps working this much, we will probably have to hire a nanny.

I am grateful to be done this Friday as well. Every day, it gets harder and harder to make the drive into Seattle and to make it through a full day of work. My body is tired. I really appreciated the ability to sit on the couch and rest this weekend.

That's the update for this week. Josh just came in so we are going to head out for work...

Monday, September 01, 2008

I was thinking the other day that I needed to start posting some pictures prior to the actual birth. I'm also intending to use this as the spot to post pictures once the baby is born. Joanne and Emily want to see pictures of me pregnant, so here are a couple, one blurry one of me from the side and one of the belly...

In the last couple of days, I have been getting bigger and bigger. The evidence is all in the belly button which keeps popping further and further out.

We did get out to a Seahawks game on Friday night, which was fun. We figured it would be the only one we get to all season. I've been trying to take it easy this weekend, finishing up the cross stitch piece I am doing for Thomas' room. I am down to the final outline stitching, so I hope to get it finished before he comes. I'm also looking forward to getting back to my knitting projects. So, I am going back to that now. We will try to take some more belly pictures in the next couple of days.

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About Me

My husband and I have two great kids - Thomas and Charlotte. Charlotte is 2 and Thomas is 3. We are currently hearing the words "no" and "mine" a lot, but at least we don't have to change diapers anymore.